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Letter: School’s plan for the future, not the past
Op-Ed · August 17, 2017
Let’s all do what we can in the coming days and weeks to have a reasonable conversation about the bond issue and sensible renovations to our schools in West Branch.
I for one will stay focused on what we need in West Branch: facilities designed for the next 20-30 years, not the last 20-30. Key facilities we have are already outdated for current needs.
You cannot make the necessary changes a piece at a time, because each is connected to another.
The plan is going before the voters Sept. 12 — and earlier for those who choose to vote by mail or at the satellite voting station next Monday, Aug. 21, on Back to School Night.
This $19.8 million bond issue is a smart investment in our community, and the comprehensive plan being offered answers virtually every concern raised within our community over the last decade. Yes, the plan is similar to the last one, but we listened and made selective changes in response to questions raised previously.
We can, again, expect many efforts to distort what is being proposed. Go back to the facts and steer clear of the spin.
For details of the plan, and to see how your property tax bill might change, see the school district website, or contact me directly at mikeowen@Lcom.net and I will send it to you.
Two issues are central to my support. First, the current middle school building will never again be suitable for efficient education of our children. Wishing it so will not make it so. Putting the middle school students at the high school campus full time, rather than half time as is already the case, is a common-sense and forward-thinking change.
Second, a 700-seat auditorium is a need, right now for some events, and assuredly for many events in the future. An auditorium is not something you build smaller, then add onto. You do it once, and you do it right.
The vast majority of those who approached those two questions with an open mind last time saw the data that we did, understood why we proposed the project then, and why we stood by it for this plan.
Anything less than these two significant improvements to our schools and I, as one board member, would have opposed putting the bond issue to the voters.
We have a chance to move our schools forward with a well-thought-out plan to meet many critical needs in one efficient package. It takes 60 percent support to make it happen, and the first attempt nearly passed.
This plan honors the strong desire expressed in that vote to make these important improvements. I am proud to see it on the Sept. 12 ballot.
Mike Owen
West Branch
Member, Board of Education
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